BT Sport to premiere The Boot Room Boys
March 22, 2022
By Nik Roseveare
BT Sport will premiere The Boot Room Boys, the latest documentary from the BT Sport Films series, on BT Sport 3 on April 5th.
Bill Shankly’s arrival as manager in December 1959 was the catalyst for establishing a legendary lineage of Liverpool coaches and managers: Bob Paisley, Joe Fagan, Ronnie Moran, Kenny Dalglish, Roy Evans: just some of the names to pass through the four walls of the Anfield boot room, a small meeting place underneath the main stand that served as the epicenter of Liverpool’s dominance in the latter half of the 20th century. When Shankly took charge, a struggling Liverpool side were embarking on their sixth consecutive campaign in the Second Division and who, less than a year earlier, had been dumped out of the FA Cup by non-league Worcester City. Unbeknownst to the club, the fans, and the city of Liverpool, the history of football would be changed forever.
The Boot Room Boys explores how Shankly and his successors created the backbone of Liverpool’s success and established the club as one of the most prestigious names in football, with contributions from the likes of Evans, Dalglish, Phil Thompson, Ian Rush, Sammy Lee and Willie Stevenson. Although the line of boot room descendants was broken in 1998, its legacy lives on: exclusive interviews in the film with current Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp, Peter Krawietz and Pep Lijnders reveal how the institution continues to shape Anfield today.
Sally Brown, BT Sport Films Executive Producer and Commissioning Editor, commented: “The Boot Room Boys is a fitting a tribute to the legacy and influence of the Shankly dynasty, not just on Liverpool Football Club, but on the English game as a whole, and provides a fascinating insight into football management.”
Following its premiere, The Boot Room Boys will be available to watch via the BT Sport App and website at any time.